Another Man's Touch
by BeverlyDanvers
Summary: 1867, Arizona Territory, Prescott, KAYLIN O'DONOVAN suffers in a loveless marriage. An ill placed step sends her toppling into the strong arms of a tall handsome stranger. Kaylin is unable to fight her attraction to Kevin, she fantasizes about more than just his kisses. Their mutual desire draws them ever closer to the white hot flames of passion, and her ruination. PLEASE REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kaylin watched the settlers' procession make its way out of town. She remembered all the hopes and dreams she had been filled with at the onset of her own journey west. Never would she have imagined that everything she and her late husband Joseph had worked toward and saved up for to provide them a better life would all be lost on the plains.

The wagons pulled by the lumbering oxen churned up dirt and dust behind them as they rolled past where Kaylin stood and watched. She covered her face with her hands to keep from choking and scurried along a side street to escape the billowing dust clouds. Her footing slipped and she began to topple only to be caught by powerful arms. With a jolt she stopped abruptly. She thought she had run head long into what felt like a wall, a hard wall of muscle with a lingering scent of juniper and leather. The dust had filled her eyes and she needed to blink several times to clear her sight. When she opened her eyes she found herself looking straight into the broad chest of a tall stranger. Little by little she tipped her head up until she could see his face. The most unusual pale blue eyes were peering down at her from under the wide brim of a well worn hat. When the stranger spoke his voice was low and soft.

"You alright ma'am?" he asked as he paused and steadied her. His strong arms wrapped about her protectively. "Whoa there now, just wait a spell and the dust will clear." The stranger looked down into the upturned face that belonged to the wisp of a woman he held in his arms. Her soft brown eyes were flecked with sparks of amber. Strands of hair had escaped from their pins and floated across her face and her cheeks had begun to turn a light pink.

Kaylin regained her balance and struggled to restore her composure. "I'm fine." she said to the tall cowboy. "Thank you for your trouble." Their eyes remained locked together for an endless moment, her heart furiously pounding inside of her chest. Neither of them wanted to pull away. Kaylin blinked and swallowed as she took a ragged breath breaking the spell that had held them mesmerized. Hesitantly she took a step backward and out of the strangers hold. The cowboy reached up, touched the brim of his hat, smiled and bid the little lady a good morning. Kaylin smiled again then she stepped past the stranger and hurried off as the wagon train reached the other end of town and the dust settled around them.

Every morning this week Kaylin had been late. There was always one reason or another and she had honestly tried to be on time this morning. She really hadn't planned on being run down by a wagon train in the middle of town. Kaylin stumbled into the kitchen all out of breath. She had only worked for Jenny and Alice, two sisters who ran a boarding house in town, for a few months. She reached up to tuck the loose strands of her hair back into the bun she wore pinned to the top of her head and apologized to Jenny's, shrinking from her stern gaze, then she coughed up a bit more dust from the road and pulled on her apron.

With a heavy sigh Kaylin forced herself to focus on the task at hand. The wagons that rolled thru town had stirred up more than just dust. She tried unsuccessfully to shake off the troubling thoughts of her family. The sight of her late husband Joseph's handsome face lying so still and lifeless will never fade from her memory. He had always been so cautious with the team. How could the wagon have gotten away from him like that? She hefted the basket with the laundry onto her hip and walked out to the back of the house to start in on the mountain of sheets. The entire pile of sheets had to be thoroughly soaked, pounded, wrung out, and then hung to dry on the line in the yard.

Kaylin built a fire under the large wash kettle while Alice tended to the chickens, goats, pigs and other assorted animals they kept in the yard. Alice had seen Kay's weak smile fade into a distant sadness and knew that her friend still mourned her first husband's death. She had just finished gathering up the fresh eggs when Jenny called out to them, and they headed back into the kitchen to fetch the breakfast plates. Alice circled around the table and scraped the leftover bits of food onto one of the plates. By the time Kaylin finished with the wash there would be a stack of dishes to be soaked and a plateful of scraps to toss to the pigs. Taking care, Kaylin lifted the stack of plates then nudged the back door open and carried them to the same tub the laundry had just come out of. When the weather was as hot and dry as it had been this year, no water was wasted. Today the laundry and dishes would share the same soak tub. Alice joined her beside the tub then they both rolled up their sleeves to start in on scrubbing the dishes.

"Was your son giving you troubles again this morning?" Alice asked Kaylin as she handed her a dirty dish. Kaylin shrugged. "He's been so ornery these days. I know he's not a boy anymore but he's not full grown either." Kaylin groaned in exasperation. "We fight every morning."

Alice nodded and screwed up her face in a grimace then handed Kaylin another dirty plate, but she didn't dare say anything, not that there was much she could say to make things better for her friend. Both Alice and Kaylin looked up as the screen door made a squeaking sound. Jenny had stuck her head out to remind them to water the garden then dump the last of the wash water in the pigs' trough.

After the bulk of the morning chores were done Kaylin and Alice joined Jenny in the kitchen for coffee and scones. Jenny wiped her hands against the sides of the freshly starched white apron tied about her waist, then strode over to the stove and put coffee on to brew. Alice placed a small plate with scones in the center of the little table that was tucked away in the corner of the kitchen. A delightful aroma of fresh coffee had begun to fill the kitchen and the three women gathered about pulled the chairs back then one by one they eased themselves down to rest for a few minutes. They would savor their coffee and morning scones as they shared the latest news about town. In between bites Kaylin chattered on about the wagon train that had just left out of town this morning.

"I almost found myself sprawled out on the street." Kaylin confided.

Amused at the thought, Jenny smiled then cocked her head to one side and asked "really now? Why would you go and do that?"

Kaylin explained how the dust from the street swirled about and blinded her. "So," she continued, "I figured I'd just squeeze my eyes shut and run thru to the other side." Alice nodded with a biscuit held to her lips. Then she motioned with her head for Kaylin to take another biscuit from the tin and continue her story.

"I take a big breath," Kaylin said as she acted out her account of the morning's events for Alice and Jenny's entertainment. "Then I dashed out and ran smack into this tall cowboy." The sisters chuckle softly and urge her to go on. A slight flush colored Kaylin's cheeks as she recalled the tall strangers blue eyes and broad chest. She recounted how he had grabbed hold of her just as she had lost her footing and prevented her from suffering the indignity of landing face down in the middle of the street with the whole town there to watch.

Jenny reprimanded Kaylin mildly. "You need to be careful about town," she said as she pushed away from the table. "This ain't the kind of place to be darting about with your eyes closed. You could get yourself killed."

"I promise I'll be more careful, I just didn't want to be late." Kaylin replied with a weak smile.

"Don't you go worrying about that," Jenny replied. "I'd rather you be late than have you getting trampled" Jenny grinned and teased as she waved her arms about the room. "Then I'd have to do all this work myself." All three women chuckled as they began to clean up their dishes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The setting sun stained the sky a vivid orange with streaks of red. Low purple clouds held the promise of rain. Kevin looked to the west as he prowled the porch of the nearly empty ranch house. Kevin Goode, a local rancher, had arranged for his daughter Sarah, to ride along to Utah with the settlers on the wagon train that rolled thru Prescott earlier that week. It had taken him a bit of wrangling with the wagon train master before he at last got him to agree and was able to add Sarah's wagon to the others.

He cherished the memory of her eyes, bright with excitement, as she oversaw the loading of her trunks. Kevin had Jake and Cody, a couple of his best hands, there to drive the wagon and keep watch over her, there was no way he was about to allow his only child to set off over hundreds of miles alone so she could go teach school in Cedar City.. The ranchers' daughter was a striking young girl. Her golden blond hair was bound up in a braid wound along the top of her head. Ringlets sprung up across her brow and at the nape of her neck. Kevin smiled as he recalled Sarah's face. She was spitting image of her late mother, Mary, at that age, and just as hardheaded. Once either of them set their minds to something there was nothing he could say to dissuade either of them. Kevin recalled watching her perched on the wagon seat and how she positively beamed when the wheels began to roll and the wagon lurched forward. Sarah glanced back to see that her father still watched and blew him a carefree kiss and merrily waved goodbye. He grumbled now as he did then. He wasn't happy about her leaving or about being shorthanded on the ranch, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Mary's youngest sister Nancy stood next to him and followed his thoughts. He felt her touch his arm and he turned toward her. "She'll be fine you know." Nancy said. The days seem to drag on and he greatly underestimated how much he would miss having her around to talk with. Nancy wasn't much in the way company. She had been living at the ranch since her husband passed a few years back. Mary, who was almost fifteen years older than Nancy, had always been more like a mother to her than a sister. When she heard the news of her brother in laws death, Mary urged her to come live on the ranch with them. Family always came first with his late wife. It always seemed odd to him that two sisters could be so different. Like the day from the night.

The rumble of thunder in the distance brought Kevin's thoughts back to the present. It had been extremely dry this spring and the land was ripe for fire. A good soaking rain is what he hoped for as he surveyed the distant clouds. He looked at Nancy and agreed that Sarah would do well but it was his prerogative as a father to be concerned over her wellbeing. She hadn't meant to criticize Nancy insisted. She had only meant to reassure him. Kevin nodded then mumbled that some rain tonight would be a good thing before he turned and slipped thru the back door headed down the hall to his bed.

Nancy watched the sun as it slowly slipped down beyond the horizon and the wind whipped her fine blonde hair about her face. She had hoped now that Sarah had left the ranch that he would see her as a woman, and turn to her for comfort, but he hadn't. Her soft hazel eyes closed as she imagined how wonderful their future would be after they were married.

Kaylin glanced toward the west and marveled at the beautiful sunset. Some nights the sky would be all red or orange. Other times the sky was filled with deep purple clouds that hung low on the horizon and the suns golden rays of amber pierced the billowing forms. She would never get tired of watching the glorious sunsets in Arizona. Life in Prescott, where the world is filled with sun, is nothing like it had been back east on the chilly coastline where she had grown up. She still remembered weeks under cloud filled skies in which she never even caught a glimpse of the sun. Here she watched as nature painted one great masterpiece after another every evening when the sun dropped low in the sky.

Her thoughts were broken by the rumble of thunder in the distance and the low muffled sounds of Calloway's breathing that came from their bed. Kaylin had long ago resolved herself to her unhappy marriage for her son's sake and how she bitterly regretted her decision to marry Calloway O'Donovan once she saw how poorly he treated both of them. Cal had seemed so much nicer while they were on the trail. She remembered how kind he had been just after Joseph's accident. She gratefully accepted his offer thinking he would be a good husband and father to her son Mike. Now she wished she hadn't given into her fears so easily. If she had any inkling what her life would be like after marrying the man she would have tried harder to manage on her own.

Calloway and his friend Robert had been headed to the California's gold fields in search of their fortune but they never got any further than Arizona. When Robert and Cal had heard of the gold found by the Walker party they decided Prescott was as far west as they would go. Calloway wasn't the man she had hoped he'd be. His world was all about dreams of riches. The only thing that he cared for was the glittering flecks of metal he dug up. He had ridden in earlier in the week and sold the gold he had mined. In another day or two he'll replenish his supplies, shave and fill his stomach before he rides off again. It seemed to Kaylin that all he wanted were meals cooked for him, a bed to sleep in and a woman to quench his lust. He barely spoke to her. She knew that he blamed her for his failure to strike a promising vein of gold. It didn't matter any that prospecting was back breaking work and only a very few ever got rich. His failure was her fault. He didn't love her, and she didn't love him. She pushed the thoughts from her mind as she slipped into bed beside Calloway's snoring form and willed herself to sleep.

The slow patter of rain against the window turned into a steady drumming then an unrelenting downpour. A burst of distant lightning and an ominous boom of thunder reverberated across the nighttime sky. The small window rattled in its sill. A sharp crack exploded then a blinding flash shattered the thin glass. Rain driven by the fierce winds began to soak the bed and Cal pulled himself upright. Flickering light skittered about the room. He scrambled out of the bed pull on his boots then tore out the back door only to see flames shooting up from the horses stall.

"Grab da blankets!" Cal shouted against the wind and driving rain as he fumbled to free the horses from the burning stall. Mike and Kaylin both tried to push thru the door at the same time in an effort to help Cal extinguish the blaze. The torrents of rain had turned the previously dry dust like dirt into a slippery patch of muddy earth. The grey mare reared, frantic in its efforts to escape from the flames. Kaylin gasped and tried stepped aside, fearful of being trampled by the terrified creature, but she wasn't quick enough and the horse careened into her knocking her to the ground when it bolted past her. Pain shot through her as the horse had crushed her bare foot beneath its hoof in its escape. Instinctively Kaylin curled up in the muddy dirt in a feeble effort to protect herself from any further injury. Mike and Cal continued to beat at the dying flames with blankets blackened with soot and sodden with rain. The wood from the stall hissed as the flames of the fire were slowly reduced to smoldering embers. Kaylin pushed away the rain soaked strands of hair that were plastered to her face and struggled to her knees. She crawled back to the safety of the house dragging her injured foot behind her. Tears stung her eyes while she probed her ankle and foot gingerly with her fingers needing to gauge the extent of the damage and winced with each touch. Nothing seemed broken she thought with a sigh of relief. But she would have to take a closer look in the morning light. With a firm grasp on the door frame she tried to pull herself upright but collapsed unable to put any weight on her crushed foot.

Cal sent Mike out into the pouring rain to look for the horses as he finished smothering out the last of the remaining embers. It took a few minutes for him to realize that Kaylin hadn't been there next to him fighting the fire. He caught sight of her crumpled up in the doorway and cursed her underneath his breath. He muttered that once again she was of no help to him. He should never have married her he thought wryly then snorted in disgust when Mike returned without either horse. The bitch and her boy have only slowed him down and cost him most of what he'd worked hard for. Roughly he pushed past the boy and stepped over Kaylin without a word. Cal, soaked from the rain and covered to his knees with mud, headed into the shack to find a lantern. With the strike of a match a small flame licked at the lantern wick and cast a weak glow in dark rain streaked night. As Cal set off to find the animals Kaylin heard him grumble, that as always, he had to do everything himself. Tears mingled in among the rain drops and rolled freely down her cheeks.

The acrid smell of burnt woods and hay lingered about the shack and overpowered the sweet smell of rain as the morning sunshine streamed in thru the glassless window. In the early light Kaylin glanced about looking for Calloway but he wasn't there. She guessed that he had left hours earlier. She wasn't sure that he had even returned last night after he left in search of the horses. Mike was still asleep in the loft and Kaylin decided to leave him be, she didn't have the energy to quarrel with him this morning. Her foot throbbed and had swollen considerably. With a bandage wrapped about it as best she could manage, she hobbled off to her job at the boarding house.

By the time she reached the boarding house the pain in her foot was unbearable. She groaned as she sunk on to the steps of the back porch. Alice, eyes bright with curiosity, poked her head out the door and saw Kaylin collapsed on the steps. She called to Jenny to come quick and together they helped Kaylin limp to a chair all the while bombarding her with questions. Kaylin gasped loudly when Jenny took hold of her swollen ankle and raised it up to get a better look. The agonized look on Kaylin's face when Jenny pulled her boot off made Alice fear her friend might faint from the pain. Jenny put a dish rag into a bucket of well water then draped the cool dampened towel lightly across the bruised and discolored foot. She stood up and scowled down at Kaylin.

"What has gotten into your head?" Jenny demanded. "Why would you walk all the way here on a broken foot? Do you want to cripple yourself?"

"It didn't look that bad this morning," Kaylin said. "I can stand on it and can wiggle my toes so it can't be broken."

"You mean you could stand on it." Alice countered with her hands planted firmly on her hips as she glared down at Kaylin. "Now it will take all day for the swelling to go down."

Jenny spoke over her shoulder to Alice "didn't I see Docs rig pull into town this morning?" With her brow furrowed Alice shrugged. "Can't say. I'll check to see if he's at the feed store." Off she flew out the front door and down the street in search of Doc Goode.

Kaylin shook her head from side to side. "No, I don't need a doctor. Jenny, I can't pay him," she said as tears began to well up in her eyes.

Jenny ordered her to hush. "You need to take care of yourself." She rinsed the wet towel in the cool water again and laid it back on Kaylin's foot. "Everything will work out, it always does." She pulled a chair alongside Kaylin's and continued in a soothing tone. "Besides Kevin Goode's not a real doctor. He's just good at tending to injured folks and animals that's gotten hurt a bit but aren't so bad off as to need the surgeon to stich them up. We just call him Doc out of respect and all."

A couple of minutes passed before Alice burst in with the Doc in tow. She directed him to the little table in the back of the kitchen where Kaylin sat. "Doc, this is Mrs. O'Donovan. Her foot got trampled on by one of her horses that got spooked in the storm last night" Alice explained.

Kaylin looked up. The Doc was none other than the tall cowboy with the startling blue eyes she collided with a week earlier when the wagon train was leaving town. Kevin touched the brim of his hat and smiled down at the slender woman with her foot wrapped up in a wet dish rag.

"Might I have a look?" he asked as he squatted down and gently lifted the dish towel off Kaylin's swollen foot. A low whistle and a cocked eyebrow conveyed that he didn't care for what he saw. Kevin touched the top and side of Kaylin's foot very tenderly trying to determine the extent of the damage. Alice winced as Kaylin sucked in her breath with each touch. Kevin saw how she had her mouth clamped shut to keep from crying out. "Sorry if this hurts ma'am, but it's the only way to tell how bad off your foot is." He continued to study the developing bruises. "So far nothing seems broke but you didn't do yourself any favors by walking on it." Then the doc pronounced "the swelling is making it difficult to say for certain. It'll be best if you stay off it for the next three days and I'll check on you again."

The sudden realization of her situation hung about her and Kaylin gave way to tears of frustration and despair. She revealed that Calloway was gone. Jenny and Alice shared a look of distain as Kaylin explained that he had ridden off last night and now she's all alone, injured and with an ornery young boy that didn't always mind her and mostly made matters worse. Kevin scooped Kaylin up in his arms then stood up and announced "Time to take you home Mrs. O'Donovan, and get you settled it." The room whirled past her as Kevin looked deep into her eyes. He had reached the door in only a few strides. The heavy aroma of leather and juniper mingled with the warm smell of him had Kaylin fighting to keep her wits about her. She was light headed and slightly dizzy but she couldn't be certain if it was from the pain in her foot or the unsettling feeling of having Kevin's warm strong arms around her. In a blink he had set her on the seat of his wagon and had climbed up next to her. The Cahill sisters stood in the doorway staring after them as he maneuvered the wagon down the street.

Kevin's held his temper in check, but just barely. What kind of man would leave his injured wife and son alone to fend for themselves? Kevin turned to Kaylin and asked which direction her house laid. Her soft eyes glisten but her voice had abandoned her. She could only point a shaky arm toward the east. The wagon lurched forward and the sudden jolt elicited a gasp and wince from her. "Sorry 'bout that ma'am," Kevin said softly as he tried to slow the horses and calm his frustration. A short way down the road Kaylin pointed to a rundown shack and cast her eyes down to hide her shame. The wagon rolled to a stop but the lingering smell of smoke made the horses uneasy. Kevin jumped down and led the team upwind to where the air was clean then he threw the wagon break and tied the reins down. Kaylin dissolved into the depths of his pale blue eyes as his arms once again engulf her and he lifted her against his chest. She circled her arms about his neck and took another deep breath of his scent. He carried her to the small shack and ducked as he pushed thru the front door. Mike stood frozen in the middle of the room. He had been stuffing clothes and food into a small bag which he let drop from his hands. The boy stared dumbstruck at his mother cradled in the arms of the tall cowboy. Kevin gently put Kaylin down in one of the chairs by the table in the middle of the room.

In disbelief she looked at Mike "what's this all about?" she asked.

Mike defiantly informed her that he is going into the mountains to join his step-father and there was nothing she could do to stop him. Kaylin grasped the edge of the table with both hands and stared unseeingly at her son. Exhausted from her morning ordeal she broke down into tears again. She didn't have any strength left to fight him. Mike picked up the bag and tied off the end. He gave the tall cowboy a wary look as he moved cautiously closer toward the door. Kevin shook his head in disbelief. He had figured out that this Calloway feller was a no good waste of a man, but did he pass it down to the boy as well?

Kevin reached a hand out toward Mike "hold on a minute boy" he said. "Do you know where in the mountains your pa's at?"

"No" Mike looked at him challengingly. "And he's not my pa," he spat out "but I'll find him. Anything's better than staying here."

Kevin hid his surprise and questioned Mike a bit more. "What if you don't find him right away? Do you have anything to set up a camp? What will you do when you run out of food?" He raised an eyebrow then asked "Are you any good at hunting?"

Mike shrugged his shoulders and shuffled his feet as he thought about what the cowboy had said. Kaylin smiled gratefully at Kevin. She saw the wisdom of his tack. He wasn't actually telling Mike that he couldn't go, but with every question he asked him, he had clearly shown Mike that he was completely unprepared to go. Kevin took his hat off and lowered himself so that he was at eye level with the boy. "How about we make a deal?" he asked Mike. "Your ma here has hurt her foot and can't work." Kevin looked straight into Kaylin's eyes then he said "she has to stay off her feet for the next three days." He said this in a very clear voice and made it plainly understood that he wasn't willing to negotiate on the last part.

Mike turned to look at his mother and saw the towels wrapped around her foot. Then Kevin looked at Mike and said "I need another ranch hand and you look strong enough to work hard. But you'd have to look after your ma for the next couple of days. I'll be back to check on her foot and if it's healing well then you can come back to the ranch with me."

Mike looked at the cowboy then to his mother then back again to the cowboy trying to soak in everything that was going on. Kaylin smiled weakly, her tears had dried and her tearstained face made her look fragile. She nodded her head in agreement to the cowboys offer. Mike stared unblinking and a slow grin crept across his face. Kevin held out his hand to shake on the deal and a beaming smile split Mike's face in two as he reached out and grasped the cowboy's big hand. For the first time in a long time Kaylin felt a sense of lightness inside of her. This tall handsome man had somehow touched her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The next couple of days were hard on Kaylin. She had always been used being the one who took care of everyone else, not the other way around. Mike helped out Jenny and Alice at the boarding house in her place, well as a boy could anyway. Each day after he finished up the chores, Jenny would feed him, and then she would send him home toting a tin of dinner for her as well as a basket of mending.

On the third day Mike stayed home with his mother anxiously waiting for Doc Goode to stop by as he'd promised. He had it all planned out, first the Doc would examine his mother's foot and then he would take him off to work on his ranch. Kaylin could see the excitement in her son's eyes. Working on a ranch was a grand adventure for him. Little did he realize that life as a ranch hand would be filled with hard work from sun rise until well after it had set. There was a loud knock at the door. It must be Doc Goode she thought and called out for him to enter just as Mike grabbed for the door handle and pulled it open. Kevin stood in the doorway. The glow from the morning light outlined his tall muscular frame. He was quite a handsome man she reflected. His sun bronzed face was framed with the golden waves of his hair that brushed the tops of his shoulders. Kaylin blinked her eyes and struggled to keep the admiring thoughts from showing on her face. There was something to be said for a bit of hard work she thought as she smiled up into Kevin's face.

"Good morning ma'am." Kevin said in a low slow drawl as he touched his fingers to the brim of his hat. "How's your foot feeling?" he asked. He turned to Mike and conspiratorially asked if she'd followed his orders to stay off her feet.

"I'm right here you know," Kaylin snapped just a little perturbed. "You shouldn't talk about someone at if they weren't in the room. It's not polite you know." Kevin smiled as he took his hat off and squatted down to take a closer look at her foot.

"I meant no disrespect ma'am," he said showing flashes of white teeth as he smiled.

"And you can call me by my given name" Kaylin continued. "It's Kaylin, or you can call me Kay as my friends do." She looked into his blue eyes and felt something stir deep within her. In an attempt to be polite and suppress the flush she knew was on the verge of surfacing, she fumbled and awkwardly reintroduced her son. "You've already met my son, Michael Anderson. His father passed in an accident on the journey here. Calloway, that is, Mr. O'Donovan is his stepfather."

His eyes twinkled. "I meant no disrespect _Kay_." he said emphasizing her name. "So Kaylin, you haven't told me yet. How's your foot feeling?"

"It's much better thank you. I can wiggle my toes and stand some."

Kevin narrowed his eyes first on Kaylin then Mike.

Seeing this Kaylin quickly interjected. "Now before you get all riled up, I only stood when I absolutely had to" she said in defense. "I still need to care for myself and I wasn't about to lie about in bed all day. I'm not an invalid."

Kevin nodded in agreement. He could see little sparks of defiance flickering in her eyes. "I understand there'd be things you'd need to take care of. I just wanted to make sure you weren't traipsing all over town again." he said with a wink.

Kaylin folded her arms across her lap made a derisive sound then looked back at him and said "I believe we're in agreement."

"Good" he said with a crooked smile. "Now let's take a look."

He reached his hand out and gently took her foot and lifted it onto his muscular thigh. With complete concentration and a tender touch Kevin un-wrapped the ragged linen bandage and probed Kaylin's foot. The injury had turned a deep purplish blue but the swelling had gone down at least. The soft gasps and little squeaks that escaped from Kaylin told him that her foot was badly bruised but not broken. He tenderly re-wrapped her foot as he said "you'll be right as rain in a few weeks as long as you go easy on it." Kevin still had Kaylin's ankle in his hand as he surreptitiously appraised her. She was a beautiful woman with mesmerizing golden brown eyes, smooth skin, and full lips. He wondered if her lips were as soft to the touch as they looked.

Slowly he lowered her leg and foot back to the floor. "If you are up and about too much in the early days you'll wind up causing a good deal of trouble for yourself" he cautioned, his voice low and full of concern.

Kaylin only half listened as she dreamt about how comforting his touch was. Her mind drifted back to the other day and how comforting his strong arms had felt wrapped around her. Kevin looked into Kaylin's eyes and caught a fleeting glimpse of something he couldn't put a name to. Sadness. Regret. Longing. "Kay," he said softly. "Did you hear me?" Kevin looked deeper into her eyes silently pleading with her to trust him. Kaylin bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling, shook her head slightly and turned away from his penetrating gaze. She had shut her heart away years ago and ever since then she had lived a numbed existence. How could she explain that his gentle touch had re-awakened the woman in her? How could she tell him how he made her feel when he had held her? That she hungered for his touch? That she yearned for more? A married woman shouldn't have these feelings for another man.

Mike had hovered about eager to set off to the ranch and shattered the uneasy silence "Ma" he started, "you're gonna listen to the Doc and take care of yourself" he said with a new found air of authority. "There will be no walking back and forth from the boarding house until you get Doc's OK. Promise me?" he half pleaded and half commanded. A knock at the door made Kaylin, Mike and Kevin all turn at once to stare at Alice as she pushed the door open wide. She was greeted by three pairs of questioning eyes. "Morning," she said in a bright cheerful voice as she stepped into the little room. "I came by to see how Kaylin's foot is healing and to check on Mike" then she gave the boy a quick glance and a smile. Kaylin thanked her dear friend and motioned for Alice to take the other seat at the table. "I'm feeling much improved thank you. And the Doc tells me my foot isn't broken."

"That's good news" Alice pronounced.

"But," Kaylin grumbled "he's made me promise to stay off it. So now I won't be able to walk to the boarding house. I'm beside myself. I'll go stir crazy within the week."

"Doc?" Alice turned to look at Kevin then continued, "what if Kay was to take one of my rooms? That way she wouldn't have to walk into town and she'd be able to keep busy while she heals."

Kaylin gasped at Alice's suggestion. With wide eyes she looked at her friend "You'd let me stay at the boarding house?" She then turned to look at Kevin who was thoughtfully considering the idea.

He smiled and nodded, the plan clearly met with his satisfaction. "That is a grand solution Miss Alice." He said then looked at Kaylin who beamed in delight.

"I'd jump up and hug you both if I could" Kaylin exclaimed. With a smile that danced on his face Kevin offered to drive the ladies back to the boarding house then he and Mike would head out to his ranch. It was settled. Kaylin would stay and work light duty at the boarding house and Mike would work for Kevin as his new ranch hand. No one thought about or even mentioned Calloway.

Mike hefted Kaylin's bags back to the tiny room that Alice directed him to. It was sparsely furnished but clean. Alice, Kevin and Kaylin remained in the parlor to chat with Jenny and Sheriff Miller who had stopped in for a bite to eat. The dull thump of Mike's boots coming down the hall announced his appearance. Sheriff Miller turned his ever watchful gaze on the boy. Kaylin waved her hand signaling for Mike to come stand by her side. She then introduced Mike and the sheriff.

The lawman stretched out his hand. A bit hesitant, Mike put his hand into the sheriffs and when the sheriff shook his hand the boy felt as if his arm was about to be wrenched out of its socket. Sheriff Miller is a big man with a booming voice and an easy way about him that folks liked. The only ones that had anything to fear from the man were the outlaws. A loud smack sounded as the sheriff slapped Mike's back. "Good to meet you boy" and looked him square in the eye. Mike struck him as a smart lad. Years of being a lawman had taught Bart many things. He had a well-honed skill of sizing people up and he was seldom wrong.

Jenny bustled back into the kitchen to prepare the mid-day meal, and Alice kept company with the sheriff. Kevin stepped next to Mike and asked him if he was ready to head out, Mike was halfway thru the door when Kevin called out to the boy and stopped him in his tracks.

"You'd best say your farewells to your ma" Kevin reprimanded him.

Mike's face turned red, embarrassed that he forgotten all about his mother. He took a few steps back into the room, then stiffly bent down and hugged Kaylin goodbye. She made him promise to mind his manners, listen carefully and do everything Doc Goode asked of him. He nodded his head and said a silent prayer that they could be on their way as quick as possible. Kevin touched his hand to the brim of his hat as he bid the ladies goodbye then he grasped the sheriff's hand in a hearty shake and turned toward the door. A moment later there was only the dust that swirled in the road behind them as the wagon that carried Mike and the tall handsome cowboy drove out of town.

Bart had told the ladies of his latest assignment. He was headed north to quell recent Indian attacks in the nearby mountains. He would be riding out with a small group of marshals just before sunrise tomorrow. Sheriff Bart had been paying court to Miss Alice for the past couple of months and claimed the reason for his visit was to stock up on Jenny's biscuits, but they all knew the real reason was to spend time with Alice before he left. He had made it a point to eat almost every meal at the Cahill's boarding house and took any opportunity to steal a kiss. As if on cue Jenny crossed the room with a platter heaped with hot biscuits and a crock of stew. Kay worked to set the table as Alice fetched some cooled tea to drink. Bart took the full pitcher from Alice and placed it on the table then held out her chair. Neither Jenny nor Kay missed how Alice brushed his hand as she sat down. It was almost impossible not to snicker at the cow eyes the two made at each other across the table. Jenny scooped a generous portion of stew onto the sheriffs' plate. The savory aroma of the meal before him made Bart's mouth water. He grasped the fork beside the plate and tucked in.

"So Sheriff," Jenny asked "how long do you 'spect to be gone this time?"

Bart paused with a mouth full of biscuit and his spoonful of stew midway to his lips. "Don't rightly know." Then the spoon finished its journey and ended with satisfying slurp. A sigh of pure delight escaped the sheriff's lips.

"Miss Jenny, you make the most wonderful stew and your biscuits are like heaven in my mouth."

"Sheriff, I'm grateful for your kind words. You're always welcome at our table, you know that." Jenny gushed, it was well known throughout town that there's no one better in the kitchen than Miss Jenny.

"Be sure to leave some room for my peach cobbler" Alice cautioned with a smile as she refilled his empty glass.

"Ladies," Bart smiled at Alice as he spooned up another mouthful of stew. "I'll slow my horse down to a walk if you keep tempting me with your fine cooking," he teased. Sheriff Miller used a biscuit to wipe every drop of gravy from his plate then popped it into his mouth then sat back in his chair. First he looked to Jenny then to Alice and said sweetly "I'd be forever grateful if you could pack away some of this tasty stew and a couple biscuits for me to eat while I'm out on the trail?" Alice blushed and Jenny nudged her side as she offered to pack up the food for him. Bart stood and nodded his thanks as Alice looped her arm thru his and they strolled to the front porch to say their farewells. Kay moved carefully about the table and cleared away the dishes. Jenny judiciously packed up several helpings of stew for the sheriff, all the while trying to keep a circumspect eye over the two out on the porch.


	4. Chapter 4

Nancy held her hand up to shield the sun from her eyes. She squinted at the thin boy who sat in the wagon as it made its way toward the house. Whatever possessed Kevin to take on a boy from town? Even if they are shorthanded, with Cody and Jake riding along with Sarah to Utah, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of help a fourteen year old greenhorn could be. She stood there with both hands on her hips watching with doubt clearly written on her face. Mike could feel his skin burn with the intensity of her stare as the wagon rolled up to the porch. Kevin motioned for him to jump down and to unload the supplies. Kevin nodded a greeting to Nancy. He introduced the boy and asked her where she wanted Mike to put the stores. She looked Mike over taking note of his slight build. With her lips pursed she stated that he didn't look strong enough to pick one of the sacks up let alone carry all of them down into the cellar. At that Mike bent and hefted the sack of coffee up on his shoulder, then turned and looked at Nancy and asked where the cellar was. She crossed her arms and made a dismissive sound then turned and walked into the house and she called over her shoulder "follow me." A grin crept cross Kevin's face and he winked his encouragement to Mike who dutifully followed Nancy into the house.

After all the supplies had been put away on the overloaded shelves down in the cellar, Mike dropped to sit on the porch stairs. He was trying to take in everything that had changed his life in such a short time. He hadn't expected the Doc to own half the valley he thought, as he surveyed his surroundings. The Goode ranch was nestled in a valley circled by the Bradshaw Mountains to the south, the large mountain of granite to the west and the Black Hills to the east. The ranch house was as big as the boarding house his mother worked in. There was a huge barn, a couple off outdoor corrals, chicken coops and a pen for the pigs. He figured he'd probably sleep in either the barn or the bunkhouse with the other hands, either way it was a big improvement over the shack he had lived in with his mother and Calloway back in town.

The sound of a loud bell rang thru the activity in the yard. Mike looked about and saw that the hands were headed toward the porch. This must be how Mrs. Nancy called everyone in to take their meals. Kevin appeared by his side and placed his hand on his shoulder as they walked toward the house. Mike could see at least four other men had already seated themselves at a long table. Kevin filled a plate for himself and motioned for Mike to do the same. Then Kevin found empty space at the table for them to sit. Nancy took the seat directly across from Kevin and coolly watched him as he chatted with Mike. It began to dawn on her, while she watched them, why the boy was here. Nancy knew how Kevin had always wanted a son. She had no doubt of the love he has for his daughter Sarah but that's not the same as having a son. Her sister Mary tried to give him a son, but none had lived beyond infancy. If he wanted sons, she could give him sons, she thought. She wouldn't be the first woman to marry a dead sister's husband. Nancy reached up and smoothed a few loose strand of her blond hair back off her face, her eyes never leaving Kevin. A man has needs that only a woman could satisfy and she'd be right willing to accommodate his. She shifted slightly in her seat and brushed her leg against Kevin's. He looked up from his conversation and glanced across the table at her. Nancy smiled showing pretty little white teeth and lowered her gaze demurely as she asked him if he liked the meal she had prepared. Mike interjected that he couldn't remember the last time he ever eaten so well. Politely she thanked him and looked at Kevin waiting for him to speak. He nodded in her direction and thanked her for keeping them all well feed then turned and struck up a conversation with one of the ranch hands.

Mike had taken his mother's words to heart and listened to everything Doc Goode said. He practically hung on his every word and followed him around like a pup. The lad learned fast and got on well with the seasoned hands. Most of his chores were for the main house. He would fetch wood and water and such for Mrs. Nancy. This morning he had to feed the chickens and slop the pigs. Mike tried to hide his disappointment at not being out with the others hands tending the herd or riding the fences. He didn't want to be a house boy; he wanted to be a cowboy. Kevin could feel Mike's eyes follow him as he rode in and tied his horse to the rails by the corral. The bell clang sound and called all the hands in for their morning meal. He called over to Mike for him to join him and together they walked toward the house.

"I think it's about time to see how well you can handle a horse." Kevin said as he looked down into the boy's hopeful gaze, "If you're ready for it that is?"

Mike let out a whoop. "You bet! I'm more than ready. When can we start?"

"How's after breakfast sound to you?"

"Yes sir, sound's fine sir." Mike replied with a grin that split his face from ear to ear.

"Good." Kevin said as he placed his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now let's go get something to eat before it's all gone."

Nancy poured Kevin a cup of coffee and handed it to him smiling sweetly. She brushed past Mike to take the seat beside Kevin. The kitchen was crowded with men heaping their plates full of food and discussing the work ahead of them that day. A couple of the hands were headed east to check the fences while others were to head west and move the herd down further into the valley. Nancy laid her hand on Kevin's arm and asked if he'd like another cup of coffee. Abruptly he stood up from the table and shook his head no. He thought it odd for his sister in law to act is such a manner and there was an uneasy feeling that nagged at him. He gnawed at the thought as he grabbed his hat off the rack by the door and strode outside. The sight of Mike perched on the top rail waiving at him pushed all thoughts of Nancy from his mind and Kevin found it impossible to keep from smiling at the boy's eagerness.

Mike had never spent any time working with horses let alone riding one. Hour after hour he practiced getting on, getting off, riding around the corral, learning to saddle and care for the animal. He was tired, dusty and hungry. Come dinner he filled his place twice and wolfed down every last bite. Kevin promised they would spend some more time tomorrow working with the horses but reminded Mike that he would still need to make time for his other chores. With a wide grin still on his face Mike hauled fire wood up to the kitchen porch and stacked it neatly. That night he was fast asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

It took two more long days of practice before Kevin felt he was ready to do some range work. On the third day they set off together at first light. Mike watched everything Kevin did and listening intently. The bond between the two grew as Kevin began to treat Mike more like the son he'd always wanted and not like just another hired hand working the herd. Mike's father had been the only other man who had taken an interest in him before. Calloway had never paid him any mind. For the first time in a long time Mike felt like he had found someplace where he belonged.

Nancy sat in the porch swing with her sister Mary's sewing basket beside her. She watched the Kevin and Mike ride in together. The shirt she had been mending was one of Kevin's. Hastily she set it aside when he stepped into the shade of the porch. She smiled up at him as she brushed her skirts smooth and wondered if he could see her as a wife for him. Kevin noticed Mary's sewing basket and one of his shirts next to her on the swing. That odd uneasy feeling came back to him and settled deep in his chest. Nancy had known that it had always been Mary's habit to sit in the porch swing while she did the mending.

"I'd found your shirt all torn up in the pile of wash so I figured I'd stich it up." Nancy said in an attempt to explain herself. "I can be everything to you that Mary had been" she said softly her hazel eyes filled with hope.

Unspoken words hung thick in the air. Nancy had imaged that Kevin would welcome the idea of her running his house like her sister had, and was completely unprepared for the look of hostility that crossed his face. A couple of the hands had taken notice of them and talked quietly while they watched. Kevin could just imagine what they were talking about by the sly glances they cast in his direction. His skin prickled with indignation. It was all he could do to control himself as he spun around and stormed from the porch. He needed to put some distance between himself and Nancy. It was doubtful he could trust his tongue to stay polite. With a wave and a shout he called out to Mike and hollered that they needed to ride into town. The smile on Nancy's face faded as she watched him step into his saddle and urge his horse into a headlong gallop down the drive with young Mike scrambling to fall in behind him.

Kevin's blood pounded as hard as the relentless thumping of his horses' hooves. What had gotten into her? He grappled with what she had meant by her suggestion.

Disbelief clouded his thoughts as Kevin pulled back on the reins and let out his breath. He hadn't even realized he'd been holding it. Mike was puzzled at the sudden change of plans and had a hard time keeping up with Kevin's wild pace. Relief flooded over him as he galloped up and stopped beside Kevin then gulped air into his lungs. Mike sensed a stiffness in Kevin's back that hadn't been there earlier and it made him wonder what happened back there on the porch with Mrs. Nancy. "I thought we should ride into town" Kevin said in a gravelly voice. "It's long overdue for you to visit your ma." Mike nodded but kept silent. They urged their horses into a slow trot. Side by side they rode in silence. Once they entered the town they turned toward Jenny and Alice's rooming house.

Alice called out to Kaylin that her son Mike and the Doc had just ridden up. Kaylin moved as quickly as she could to the front porch to greet them. It had been a whole week since Mike had left for Doc's ranch and she missed him terribly. She had set aside all the strained times they had in the past and was certain there would be better times to come. Mike met his mother at the top of the porch stairs with a big hug. He buried his face into her arms as she enveloped him. Kaylin grasped his shoulders and pushed him back so she could have a good long look at him then she pulled him to her again in a crushing hug.

"I've missed you so much. Come tell me how you've been getting on at the Doc's ranch." Kaylin said as she looped her arm about her son's waist. She hadn't remembered that he had been so tall, she thought as she looked at him eye to eye. It's only been a week she reminded herself, there was no way he could have grown much in such a short time. She glanced beyond Mike and saw Kevin wearing a peculiar look. It seemed to her that something troubled him. Kaylin smiled to herself as her mind drifted back to that morning with the wagon train. He would always be the tall cowboy she ran into and touched her heart with kindness.

Mike proceeded to tell his mother of his new life with great zeal. Kaylin could tell instantly that her son had settled in well and was thriving. She hadn't seen him that contented in a very long time and turned to thank Kevin. When she smiled the room lit up, the glow she radiated startled him. He watched as all the love she had for her son wash over the boy. The strength behind her warm brown eyes captured him; the soft sound of her laughter charmed him and Kevin felt his chest tighten just a bit.

Jenny called out that refreshments were in the kitchen and she needed a couple of strong fellows to oblige her and carry them out to the parlor for her. Mike and Kevin disappeared and returned with their arms loaded down with sweet tea and fresh corn bread. An hour had passed while Mike shared tales of his adventures over the week. Kaylin hung on his every word, and then she shared with them the latest news about town. Kevin listened with considerable interest to the reported Indian attacks to the north then inquired if Sheriff Miller had been by since their last meeting. Alice fidgeted in her seat before she answered. Distress over his absence caused small creases to form between her brows. She rose to her feet and paced about the room as she bemoaned the lack of communication from him since he rode out last week. A slight tremble could be seen in Alice's hands when she walked to the front window and pulled the lace curtain aside to peer down the street. She wore a pained look on her face when she turned back to the gathering in the parlor. Kevin assured her that all would be well with the Sherriff; and that in no time Bart would be back and be pestering her for a dance at the summer festival. Alice blushed and smiled warmly at the thought.

Kaylin had spent much of the afternoon fascinated with Mike and how much he had changed in only one short week. Oh, he still looked the same, she thought, as she took stock of her son. Light brown hair with blond streaks. Wide set blue eyes and an impish grin. But he was different. She noted that now he reached up to the brim of his hat when he greeted her, and how he held her chair for her as she sat down. There was no doubt who she should credit for the changes, she just didn't know how to, or if she should say anything at all. Mike bent down to give his mother a hug goodbye. Kaylin rose to hug him back and winced ever so slightly when she put her weight on her healing foot.

Kevin remembered her injury and berated himself for having been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he had completely forgotten all about it.

"Whoa now, just a minute," he said. "I'll still need to check and see how you're healing before we go anywhere."

Kaylin visibly paled when Kevin took hold of her hands and guided her back to her chair. That simple touch sent a surge of emotions ripping thru her like a lightning strike.

From the look that flashed in Kevin's blue eyes he had felt it too.

Kaylin sat and attempted to gather her composure as Kevin knelt, then gently lifted and cradled her foot. She held her breath when he slipped his hand beneath the hem of her dress as he removed her shoe. The intensity in his gaze made her skin flush. Kevin could almost feel her surrender to his touch. He hadn't had the desire for a woman since his Mary passed. The way Kaylin made him feel now shook him to the core. He bit back a groan of frustration and willed himself to focus on tending to her injury. Slowly he slid off her shoe and her stocking then he placed Kaylin's foot on his thigh.

The swelling was gone completely and the bruises had begun to fade. "You've been taking real good care of our little Kay haven't you Miss Alice?" Kevin spoke softly to Jenny and Alice.

Kaylin's foot lay on his thigh. The warmth of her bare skin spread up his leg and consumed him. Each breath he took seared his lungs and he struggled to hide his growing arousal. He looked up into her face and could see the awakened desire that smoldered in her eyes before she could turn her face away to preserve propriety. His heart pounded in his chest so loudly he wondered if everyone else in the room could hear it too. Clumsily his fingers fumbled with Kaylin's stockings. He tensed when she accidently brushed his hand with hers as she reached down to relieve them from his grasp. The need to leave right then became urgent. If he didn't he would not be able to conceal his thoughts as his desire would become noticeable to everyone in the room. He rose up and called roughly for Mike to ready the horses. The door flew open and like a flash Mike had unlashed the animals reigns from the hitching posts. Kevin steadied his trembling hand and touched his fingers to the brim of his hat nodding to the ladies as he quickly stepped thru the open front door and out of the boarding house. Kaylin sat spellbound. A wild surge of emotions had been unleashed within her. Crimson stained her cheeks as her eyes stared blankly at the door. Her pulse raced, her breathing was ragged and her heart wordlessly called out for him to come back.

That night alone in her bed Kaylin dreamt of being wrapped in Kevin's strong arms and held close against his chest. She could remember the smell of leather and juniper that clung to him as she imagined how his kisses would taste.

Reds, yellows and fiery oranges streaked across the horizon and set the sky ablaze with color. Kevin stood on the porch and stared into the sunset sun but didn't see it. The cool night air helped to relieve some of the tightness in his chest but he would need something stronger to dull the pounding in his head. He poured another shot of whiskey into his glass and drained it in one swallow. He closed his eyes in anguish and the only thing he saw was the desire that burned in her eyes. All he could think about was Kaylin and the uncontrollable desire he had to take her in his arms and quench his thirst for her lips. He had seen the amber flecks that burned deep in her eyes and knew that she hungered for him as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Thick grey clouds hung about the distant mountains while the wind began to whip up the dust in the street. Alice worked from one end of the clothes line tugging loose the pins that held the wash secure. She tossed the still damp sheets in the basket at her feet while she kept an ever watchful eye on the sky. At the other end of the line Kaylin was doing the same. In the distance they could see long dark streaks of rain pouring down from the storm clouds that crowded overhead. They were in a race to beat the rain that would, at any moment, begin to fall in great torrents. Jenny scurried about the small yard herding the animals under cover to ride out the storm in safety. Alice hefted the basket, now overflowing with clean wash, onto her hip and dashed for the kitchen door. Jenny grabbed at Kaylin's arm to help pull her up the stairs. By the time they had all made it thru the kitchen door the sky above had opened up and buckets of rain poured down out of the sky.

The sun parched earth became strewn with puddles that in turn grew into small streams as the surge of water flowed toward the street. Rusty colored dirt was lifted and carried off by the coursing water at it swept away anything in its path. From the kitchen window the three women watched as the dirty water swirled thru the carefully tended garden overturning a hastily abandoned pail in its wake. Slowly the downpour lessened into a light rain, then sprinkles and droplets before it stopped as suddenly as it had started. Rays of sunshine began to pierce thru the thinning clouds above. After a few minutes a brilliant blue reclaimed the sky as the storm clouds continued along their journey.

Alice and Kaylin had strung up a line in the kitchen, much to Jenny's annoyance, and had begun to hang the still damp wash. Thump, thump, thump sounded from the front door. One of their boarders must have got caught in the rain Jenny thought, as she quickly headed toward the parlor. She stopped abruptly when the door flung open and Calloway O'Donovan stepped thru. He was soaked to the skin, rain water dripped from his clothes puddling on the floor at his feet.

"Kaylin," he bellowed. He leveled his gaze at Jenny "I've cum to fetch me wife back home where she belongs." Kaylin appeared at the kitchen doorway and stared at him.

"Aye, I thought I'd find ya here." Calloway looked about the room then settled his eyes back on his wife. "Where's da boy?" he demanded. Dumbstruck by her husband's unexpected appearance Kaylin could only stare at him with her mouth hanging open.

"What, you taken deaf and dumb now?" he spat out.

"Calloway," Kaylin started not sure how to answer. "I thought you were gone."

"Well, I'm back now" he retorted. "So is this what ya do when I'm out scratching in the dirt trying to make a living? Ya loll around widt ya friends and let da boy run wild?"

"No. It's not like that at all." Kaylin replied quickly and she told him about how Mike was now working as a hand at the Goode ranch and that she was only staying there at the boarding house so she could work and let her foot heal properly. Calloway dropped his eyes to look at her feet then he looked back at her face. It was clear he didn't care about her injuries as he didn't ask a single question about her welfare. He cursed her and ordered her to collect her things. With a hard look in his eye he informed Kaylin that she would be returning with him to their home even if he had to drag her there himself. No wife of his would be living anywhere but under his roof, he said thru lips curled in a sneer. Alice helped Kaylin pack while trying to reassure her friend that everything would be alright. She dismissed Cal's callous words as nothing more than the talk of a man who is exhausted and hungry and was shocked to come home to an empty house. Alice smoothed Kaylin's hair from her face and gave her a hug. She watched silently as Kaylin limped slowly down the stairs and then followed behind Calloway as he strode away from the boarding house.

Several days had passed since Calloway had stormed in and all but dragged Kaylin away with him. Jenny stood in the kitchen doorway, hands on her hips while she watched Alice as she went about her chores humming a merry tune. Like a butterfly she flit about the parlor and swished the feather duster over everything and everyone. The morning sun danced in the swirls of dust that Alice cast adrift with each twitch of her duster. She had been daydreaming about Sheriff Bart and was in a cheerful mood as she floated among the little clouds of dust. It was clear that Alice was completely blind to the fact that Kaylin hadn't yet arrive for work this morning and Jenny narrowed her gaze on her sister.

"Don't you think you should go about seeing to Kaylin?"

Alice, so completely lost in her dream, snapped back to reality at the tone in Jenny's voice. "What? She's not here? I could have sworn I'd seen her in her room earlier?" Alice replied.

Jenny doubted that Alice even knew what day of the week it was. But she was appalled to think that her sister had completely forgotten about the scene Calloway made when he had final returned to town.

"Well, if you saw her it was in your dreams. Don't you remember Cal showing up and hauling her outta here? She's been gone for three days now." Jenny stammered barely holding onto her temper.

"What?" Alice squeaked as the veil of dreams of her future with Bart began to lift and the memory of what had happened settled back around her.

With a loud humph Jenny turned her back and disappeared into the kitchen. She bristled as she tied her apron about her waist and under her breath cursed Calloway as a no good son of a bitch.

A minute later Alice appeared in the doorway. "I'm on my way to go see what's keeping her, and I wanted you to know." She said in a rush of words then she dashed out the kitchen door, the feather duster dropped and forgotten on the sideboard. In four steps Alice was down the stairs and headed toward Main Street. She berated herself the entire way. Little creases of anxiety lined her brow and she quickened her pace. I can't believe I completely forgot about Kay. What kind of friend am I? She thought. Main Street was just ahead and she turned onto it. Frantically she searched the faces of the women who hurried past, eager to see Kaylin among them. Halfway down the street Alice saw her friend and rushed toward her. She could tell that Kaylin had become more caution as she navigated the commotion in the streets but all of the walking had caused her injured foot to heal slowly. There was more than a slight limp in her step, as she made her way slowly down the crowded boardwalk. The pained look on Kaylin's face made the incident with Calloway a few days earlier fresh in Alice's mind.

Kaylin looked up and spied Alice as on the other side of the street she closed the distance between them. She took in a long slow breath, then clenched her teeth and pushed forward with a brittle smile plastered upon her face.

"Morning to you," Kaylin said to Alice. "Sorry to be late again" she said. Alice drew alongside her and linked her arm thru Kaylin's, together they made their way back toward the boarding house.

"I'm a bit slower than I used to be, and still haven't got the knack of knowing how long it takes me to get from place to place," Kaylin confessed with a hollow smile that said more than her words did. The last few paces to the back steps drained the last of Kaylin's strength and she heaved a sigh of relief when they stopped to rest on the porch.

"I think you're doing yourself a good deal of harm by walking so much. You need to let me talk to Calloway and convince him it's for the best that you come back and stay with us." Alice offered "at least until your foot is completely healed," she added with a pleading note.

"That's very kind of you," Kaylin replied "but no thank you. He'll have none of it I'm certain." Kaylin unlaced her boot and carefully removed it. "He's said if I'm too lame to walk to work, than I'm too lame to work and should stay home."

"So, you take a couple of days to rest and mend., then when he leaves out for the mine again, you come back and stay here at the boarding house," Alice countered.

"We'll see," Kaylin said. "Cal's talking about giving up the mining if he doesn't strike something big soon. He's promising me that when he gives it up, he'll look for work in town." She said with bright smile.

It's the same story she has heard so many times before. The remnants of the dream she once had of working the land passed before her and disappear. If she only had the deed to the land she and Joseph had purchased then at least they could have homesteaded it and Cal wouldn't have to mine anymore. Calloway had made her these same promises before and Kaylin doesn't believe him anymore this time than she did the last time. He and Robert had come out west to find their fortunes, he had told her, not to raise chickens.

Kaylin lifted her swollen foot onto the bottom step. Alice filled a pail with cool well water and poured it into the basin for Kay to soak her foot in while Kay told her how Calloway now wanted Mike to come work with him on his claim.

"But Mike's out on Doc's ranch. What's he gonna do, ride out there and drag him back too?"

"Something like that I suppose," replied Kaylin in a tone that betrayed her fears. "He didn't give me any details; he just said he was going to fix things."

Alice raised an eyebrow, put her hands on her hips and uttered a resounding hump.

Mike had worked hard at being one of hands on Doc Goode's ranch and when his step-father rode in late that morning, telling him he had to leave and return home, he became irate. He cursed Calloway with a string of foul language that belied his age. Fists would have flown if it hadn't been for Kevin who stepped in. He reassured Mike that he would always have a job there at the ranch when his mother and stepfather didn't need his help as much as they did right then. It took some convincing, but he was able to persuade Mike that his place was with his folks. Inwardly Kevin thought it was a low down piece of work for Calloway to ride in and demand Mike to leave just like that. The man had tossed aside any parental role he might have ever had in the boy's life and for him to now lay claim to being Mike's step-dad and insist that the boy return home with him left a bad taste Kevin's. There was nothing he could say or do to stop Calloway from taking the boy, and they both knew it. The sense of loss overwhelmed Kevin as he watched Mike ride down the lane, with his shoulders slumped in resignation, following his step-father back toward town.

Nancy sat on the porch and smiled to herself as she watched the drama unfold. She had gotten accustom to the boy helping out. He was more useful than she had thought he'd be and reluctantly admitted that she might even miss him. Moreover, she thought his absence would give her the ideal time to plant the seed of her being able to give Kevin the son he has longed for. This wasn't an opportunity she would waste. Nancy smiled again as she stepped from the porch and made her way toward Kevin, who still stood and watched as Mike rode away.

After a long day of work, a weary Kaylin pushed thru the gate into the small yard of the shack. Her foot throbbed. She knew that she had continued to aggravate her injured foot and that it was foolish of her to keep hobbling the couple of miles back and forth from the boarding house. With each step closer she took to the door she could hear the unmistakable sound of Calloway and Mike as they fought, and it gnawed at her stomach. She paused with a hand on the rusted door handle and listened. Fear clutched at her heart. Mike was furious at being dragged back from the Doc's ranch. He stood his ground and first demanded, then pleaded, to be allowed to return to the Goode's ranch. At that very moment she couldn't have been more proud of her son. She envied his courage for confronting Calloway and speaking up for what he wanted to do with his life and she completely agreed with him. He should be allowed to keep his job at the ranch and planned to tell him that later, after Cal had fallen asleep. The past couple of weeks while he'd been working there, she had seen him grow up so much. It seemed that he had found a place where he wanted to be. Without warning the door swung open and Mike stormed thru. Kaylin took a quick step back and pressed herself against the door frame as he rushed past. He just barely missed running her down.

"Ma," Mike gasped.

His boyish face was red with frustration and rage. He spun around and pointed a shaking finger at his step father who stood deep in the shadows of the cabin.

"Tell him that I can go back to Doc's ranch" he implored.

The pained look in his eyes spoke of the anger he felt and unshed tears. Kaylin blinked but couldn't say anything. She berated herself as a coward and hung her head in shame. Mike saw her silence as a betrayal and believed that she agreed with Calloway. Dumfounded, he could only glare at her and shake his head as his anger toward her grew. It had always been the same thing ever since she had married the Irishman; she always gave in and did whatever he wanted. Calloway's shouts bellowed out from inside the tiny shack and fell on deaf ears as Mike turned his back on the both of them and strode down the walk then out thru the gate. He made no effort to look back, he just kept walking.

If he had turned back he would have seen his mother as she clutched the door frame and how Calloway raised his hand and struck her hard. The violent shock of the back of Cal's hand when it connected with her cheek brought Kaylin to her knees. Tears stung her eyes and there was a slight ringing in her ears. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip to silence a scream. The warm taste of blood was nothing to the bitter taste of bile rising up within her.

This time he had gone too far.

Cal had never hit her before. Even in his frequent bouts with whiskey he had never laid hands on her in anger. She had made herself a promise that if he did, it would be the one and only time.

She looked up to see Calloway's once handsome face twisted in rage. Mike was the reason she had married him at all. After the deed to her homestead was lost she feared that they both would starve. She had no reason to stay with Calloway now that he had driven Mike off. There was a strong smell of whiskey on his breath and Kaylin feared that as drunk as he was he would hurt her badly. With sheer determination, Kaylin scrambled to her feet. He swung at her again and she barely managed to dodge the blow.

Drunk and unsteady on his feet Kaylin pushed against him with all her strength. Cal staggered backward into the cabin tripped and fell. There was a loud whack. His head made a sickening sound as it slammed into the edge of a table. A dull thud followed quickly afterward as his body hit the floor.

Kaylin ignored the pain in her foot and pushed thru the gate as she made good her escape. She didn't waste a second to look back. Each hobbled step sent unbearable pain shooting thru her foot and leg as she stumbled screeching for Mike to come back. She knew she needed to keep going. If Calloway got a hold of her now he would beat her senseless and might even kill her. No longer able to put any weight on her foot Kay collapsed the middle of the dusty road. Her whole body shuddered when she coughed and labored to catch her breath. Her throat was raw and burned with each gulp of air she took. She tried to lift her head when she heard the sound of a wagon approaching but became dizzy. Dirt crusted her eyes and dried tears had run streaks thru her dust covered face. Afraid she would see Cal behind her she glanced back toward the cabin. Relief washed over her when he was nowhere to been seen. Then she turned to wave down the nearing horseman. Just lifting her arm took all the strength she could muster. The glare from the sun behind the wagon made it difficult to distinguish who rode in the rig but she thought she saw Mike with Doc Goode.

Before Kevin had reined the team to a stop Mike had jumped from the buckboard. He bit back a gasp when he looked into his mother's face. Her lower lip was cut and bleeding. One eye was swollen shut and her cheek was streaked red with blood. He crouched down and helped her up struggling to keep ahold of her as she wobbled on one foot unable to put any weight on the other. Kevin had thrown the wagon brake then circled around and wrapped his arm about Kaylin's waist to help Mike steady her. Together they lifted her into the back of the wagon. She clung to her son as he wrapped his arms around her and cradled her head gently. Over and over Kaylin begged Mike to forgive her for not being able to stand up for him against Calloway. Mike held his mother and tenderly stroked her hair. The wagon rumbled as he soothingly rocked her like a small child. Guilt wrapped around his heart and he murmured how sorry he was that he left her there to face the drunken bastard. He promised her he would never let Calloway lay a hand on her again.

It would be dark soon Kevin realized. He needed just a couple more minutes of light before they would reach the turn off to the lane that led to ranch. From there the team would know the rest of the way with their eyes closed. Mike cradled Kaylin in the back of the wagon and glanced up at him. The thankfulness in the boy's eyes confirmed what he already knew. There was no way he could have left either of them back there. When he set out after Mike earlier it had only been his intention to pay him what he was owed. Then he came across the boy walking back to the ranch and discovered that Mike had decided to leave his parent's home for good. They had talked about the hard choices mothers and step-fathers had to make sometimes and he had eventually convinced Mike to return to his folks. But when he saw Kaylin lying face down in the middle of the road a fierce protectiveness took hold of him. The bruises that marked her face left him no option. They would sort everything out in the morning, but tonight both Mike and Kaylin would be safe back at the ranch with him.


	6. Chapter 6

Nancy stood out onto the porch with a lantern in hand as the wagon approached. It was too dark for Kevin to see the frown cross her face as she realized he was not alone. He called out for her to heat some water as he climbed down and circled around to the back of the buckboard. Mike let Kevin pick up his mother and carry her into the kitchen while he stopped to gather fire wood from the porch. From the light of the lantern that Nancy held up she was able to catch a glimpse of Kaylin's battered face. The way Mike watched over the woman in Kevin's arms made her realize that she was probably the boys' mother and had by the looks of it recently taken a beating. She lit a fire in the cook stove then handed Mike a large pot then sent him to the pump to fill it with fresh water. Kevin settled Kaylin into one of the straight back chairs while Nancy fetched clean towels and her mending basket. Little droplets of water hissed when Mike set the pot of water on the stove and they made contact with the fire. Nancy dipped a ladle into the pot of water and offered it to Kaylin. The cool water soothed her throat. In a couple of gulps she had finished it and in a raspy voice she asked for more.

"That's good for now," Nancy crooned, "I'll get you more in just a couple of minutes. Let's get you cleaned up a bit first shall we?"

With that, Nancy dipped a wash cloth into the warming pot of water and gently washed the dirt and dried blood from Kaylin's face. Mike stood rooted to floor as he watched Nancy tend to his mother. It wasn't until Kevin called him the third time that Mike heard him.

"Give me a hand with the team will you?" Not that he really needed it, but Kevin knew Mike needed to do something and feel useful. "Your ma's gonna be just fine."

Nodding his head Mike moved toward the door in a haze. The sight of his mother's bruised and swollen face forever etched in his memory. By the time Mike and Kevin had returned from the barn, Nancy had Kaylin's face washed cleaned. Kevin directed Mike to make up the bed in Sarah's room for his mother, and then he knelt beside Kaylin and murmured soothing assurances to her that all will be well. He told her, that both she and Mike were at his ranch, and they would be safe here. Something about the tone in Kevin's voice made Nancy uneasy. She eyed him curiously as she stepped back to the stove to drop the dirty cloth in the pot of hot water. Kevin asked Kaylin about her foot. He had noticed that she wasn't able to hold her weight on it and was concerned that she might have done more damage to the fragile healing fracture. Kaylin meekly apologized in one breath and challenged him brazenly in the next. Given the situation, she'd had little choice and had done what she needed to. As he looked into her soft brown eyes he nodded and conceded that she was right to so what she had, while he lifted the hem of her skirts and undid the laces of her boot then tried to ease it off her foot. The swelling had become so great that if Kevin tried to forcefully pull the boot off he feared he'd cause her further injury. With a flick of the leather thong at his belt that held the knife he wore secure, he unsheathed it and sliced the boot neatly off her foot.

"Hey now, what have you done!" Kaylin exclaimed with a hoarse cry. "You've ruined my boot."

"Unfortunately, that was the only way it was coming off" Kevin replied. Then he added with a smirk, "Now, with only one boot, you'll be forced to stay off your feet."

Nancy handed a clean warm cloth to Kevin and he wrapped it around Kaylin's foot and ankle. Then she called to Mike to fill the kettle with water and stoke the fire so she could make them all coffee and something to eat. She had set aside the last of the stew for Kevin and apologized for the meager meal as she hadn't expected company. A tin rested on the table next to the large stove and Nancy pushed it onto the stove to warm and set to mixing up a batch of biscuits. Kaylin smiled and thanked Nancy for her kindness.

Kevin motioned for Mike to pull the small stool over so that he could place Kaylin's foot upon it to rest. Then he rose and sat down in one of the other straight back chairs that circled the table. While Nancy tended their dinner, Mike recounted the fight between himself and Calloway then how he had left in a rage, and then softly Kaylin detailed the drunken blows that sent her fleeing into the street after Mike.

Silently Kevin listened. Disbelief, disgust then fury flashed behind his hooded eyes. His hands clenched into fists at his side. He'd heard of weak men who bullied and beat their women and children. Until today had never witnessed it with people he knew. It wasn't Kevin's way to meddle with how other folks lived. He looked at the woman that sat across from him, who beneath the bruises was a quite attractive lady and couldn't imagine any man raising a hand to her in violence. To add to this how any man could call a son like Mike a failure? Kevin sat silent deep in thought about the people he'd come to know and thought well of, and how they were unjustly hurt, and decided that he just might have to step in and take matters into his own hands.

After finishing all of the stew and biscuits, Kaylin asked if she could lie down to rest. Mike offered to help her to the room she was to stay in then slipped his arm about her waist and lifted her tenderly. With Mike on one side and Kevin on the other, they crossed the kitchen then down the back hall to Sarah's room by the parlor. Mike insisted on staying there with her, he would sleep on the floor, just in case she needed anything during the night. She shooed them both away so she could settled herself. Inside the trunk at the end of the white wrought iron bed she found a sleeping gown and with a weary sigh, Kaylin stripped off her dress then slipped the light cotton gown over her head. Her fingers fumbled thru her hair, searching out the pins that held the curls to the top of her head and pulled them free. She held her breath as sat down on the bed and slowly pulled her legs up and onto the mattress. The throbbing in her foot was keeping time with the throbbing in her head. Drained from the events of the evening she sank into the softness of the pillow and was sound asleep within minutes. Mike quietly slipped in to lie down on the blankets he had spread out on the floor across the room. For a while he listened to the steady breathing that came from his mother as she slept, and then he too, drifted off to sleep.

Kevin paced the back porch as he tried to keep his swirling emotions in check. He wasn't able to work out exactly what this pretty little woman and her son meant to him, but he had somehow become quite attached to them. It was late, he was exhausted, he settled on giving it some more thought in the morning. He paused before the door to Sarah's room and quietly eased it open. The boy's sleeping form on the floor was silhouetted in the shadowed darkness and Kaylin lay under a light bed sheet with her hair spread out on the pillow. He felt a stirring inside him. Frustration, guilt and desire all demanded his attention and urged him to act. He knew which one he wanted to answer as he stood there and gazed at the moonlight glistening in Kaylin's hair.

Low rumbles of thunder echoed off the mountains. Cal's head felt as if it were going to split in two. Flashes of lightning lit up the rain clouds that blanketed the sky. The storm continued to rage over on the back side of the Bradshaw's a few miles in the distance. A sharp white lite exploded across the inside of his eyelids as he pulled himself up to sit on the dirt floor of the shack. What the hell happened? He thought, and where the hell is that lazy boy, and his good for nothing mother? The thunder sounded closer with each successive crash. Drops of rain began to spit thru the blanket that covered the gaping hole where the window had previously been. He saw the door to the shack was wide open and could see that rain had begun to fall as another flash of lightning streaked across the sky. The rain changed from falling steadily, to torrential down pours in an instant. Hail drummed against the roof boards. A trickle of rain water seeped in thru the rotting roof boards and splattered on the floor beside him. Slowly he crawled toward the bed and hauled himself onto the lumpy mattress. At least the thunder from the fast moving storm drowned out the pounding in his head he thought ruefully. The scared cries from his horse were unfortunate because there was nothing Calloway could do for it, or himself. It was all he could manage to do to remain conscious. Torrents of rain ran down the street toward the wash that led to the creek. Cal needed to soak his aching head in one of those cool puddles of water. With an agonizing groan, he pulled himself upright and walked toward the open door. He swayed as he put one foot before the other and reached out to steady himself against the door frame. Calloway staggered thru the door and fell to his knees in the drenching rain then collapsed in the mud puddle that used to be a path. At least the cool muddy water eased the pain. To hell with them all he muttered as he rolled onto his back, letting the rain wash over him and once again he slipped into unconsciousness.

Cal heard his name being called thru a fog. A kick to his thigh made him open one eye. The bright sunshine intensified the throbbing in his head. His arm felt as if it were made of lead as he lifted it to shield his eyes. Robert's face came in to focus. Another kick to his thigh from Robert made Calloway curse him.

"Ah good, yer alive then," Robert muttered. "What da hell happened to ya boy-o?" He asked as he bent over to help Calloway sit up. "Nasty gash on the back of yer head there, ya might wanna to have yer woman look at it. It might need a stich or two," Robert remarked.

"Damned if I let that bitch anywhere near me head, twas she that nearly kilt me." Calloway replied.

Robert pulled him up and staggered their way into the shack with him supporting most of Cal's weight. It took several minutes for them to make it inside then Calloway slumped heavily into one of the chairs in the middle of the room.

"Did she hear 'bout you poking Maebell and take a swing at ya?" Robert said with suppressed amusement. "Can't say ya didn't deserve it," the scowl on Calloway's face made him chuckle.

"Shut yer damn mouth." Cal snapped. Robert pushed Cal's head forward so he could get a better look at the blood crusted gash.

"You've always had an itch for that skinny bitch haven't ya?" Calloway taunted his friend. Robert removed a long knife from the scabbard he wore tucked inside his boot and picked at the open wound.

Calloway yelped in pain and pushed his friends hand away. "Ya can 'ave her iff'n ya still want her. Just give me the deed and we'll call it square, eh?"

Robert continued to clean out the dried blood and dirt from the gash on his friend's head as he replied, "nope, I want 'em both."

"Ya always was a greedy bastard." Calloway replied. "I told ya didn't I? I knew when ya started playing cards widt 'dem settlers that no good would cum of it." Cal grumbled and clenched his teeth together while Robert poked at his head. "Iff'n ya think she'll throw herself in ta ya arms any more now, then she woulda a couple of years ago, ya got another thing comin. It won't matter none even if ya tells her you 'found' her long lost deed." He howled as Robert poured some whiskey on to the wound.

"Sit still," bellowed Robert as he pushed Calloway back into the chair.

"Ya never had any balls." Robert retorted. "Them settlers were prime picken's all loaded down widt money and the like. It ain't me problem iff'n some of dem couldn't hold their liquor and got stupid was it?" He ripped a strip of cloth from one of the bed sheets and began to wind it around Cal's head. "Besides that damn fool could'a kept his stinking land iff'n he'd just paid me what he owed."

"I'm sure ya would have traded him for their extra horse, and a few pokes of his woman in place of the money." Calloway quipped. He winced in pain as Robert snugged the ends of bandage tight. "Owe. Leave off will ya," Cal said pushing his friends hands away again.

"I can see why she'd take to brainin' ya. You've got no idea how ta treat a lady." Robert said. "MaeBell and you is perfect fer each other." He continued as he wiped off the blade of his knife and returned it to its scabbard.

Calloway replied with a snort. "Whaddya doing here? And what the hell damn day is it?" He asked then pushed himself up from the chair and stood a bit wobbly on his feet.

"She musta knocked all the sense outta ya too." Robert replied with a snicker. "Don't ya remember that we was gonna file our claims widt the land agent? He's due to arrive on the stage in two weeks. I figured I'd stash some of me gold first, and then head over to the mercantile ta stock up on supplies 'for I head back out ta Sterling." Robert gave Calloway a hard look before he continued. "Just cause nobody's out there digging up that patch don't mean that no one's got a claim on the spot. I mean to git me as much gold as I can and tuck it away in case the land agent denies me claim." Calloway nodded in understanding. "I've finally hit on a vein that's paying out and I ain't told no one but you 'bout it. Cause iff'n some other fella's got a claim on it already, then I'm just another sorry bastard who'd been working fer nothing." The two men shared a knowing look. "Come on then. I'll help ya find yer horse," and stretched out his hand to help Calloway cross to the door. "Damn good fer nothing bitch and her damn horse" Calloway muttered. He pushed Robert's hand away again as he made his way toward the door and out of the shack.

Jenny paced the length of the front parlor and stopped several times to pull aside the lace curtains. The window faced the street and when she peered out she could see all the way to the corner of Main Street. She hoped to see Kaylin's familiar face appear at any moment. More than an hour had passed since her usual arrival time at the boarding house. Both of Alice and Jenny grew more concerned for her wellbeing with every passing minute. Fear began to well up and Alice was convinced that Kaylin was in terrible trouble.

The quiet tension was broke when Alice stated that she was going to the mercantile to see if the calico she had recently ordered has arrived. She knew the errand was a flimsy excuse as she crossed to the door and hauled it open with a jerk. The unspoken reality was that she was headed out in search of her friend. Jenny nodded in approval and walked over to close the door behind her. With the curtain pulled aside she watched as Alice made her way down the street. Large puddles of muck that ran along the edges of the dirt road impeded her progress and forced her to keep watch of where she stepped. As she leapt over a small puddle just a few yards from the store Alice spied Doc Goode's wagon out front and quickened her pace. Fortune was with her this morning she thought. It was quiet opportune for her to have found him in town as the O'Donovan's place was some distance to walk, but only a short trip by wagon. Kevin was at the counter settling up his account when Alice called out to him.

"Doc, would you be so kind as to take me out to the O'Donovan's place?" she asked in a casual tone. Alice forced herself to remain calm in an effort to keep the fear out of her voice. "I'm wondering if Kay's' bad foot's may be the cause of her not arriving to work this morning. It might be she's not letting it mend as she should be," she added as she grasped her hands before nervously.

Kevin surveyed her. It was apparent she was upset by how she wrung her hands. Eli, the store keeper, greeted Alice with a bright smile and informed her that he had only just received a telegram for her, and then he shuffled off to fetch it from the mail room. She thanked him profusely then glanced from the store-keep to the items on the counter that the Doc was purchasing. There were two bolts of fabric, a calico and some ivory muslin, alongside sacks of beans and coffee. Kevin followed her gaze and could see the question forming in her mind when the merchant returned with her telegram. A dazzling smile lit up her face as Alice eagerly reached out to take the scrap of paper from the merchant. Kevin gave instructions for his purchases to be loaded on to his wagon then he gallantly escorted her thru the door of the mercantile.

"Good news I hope?" he asked after she had finished reading who the note was from.

"I'll read it a bit later." she replied as she looked up at him. A sheepish smile spread across her face as she folded the paper and tucked it into her dress pocket. "It's from Sheriff Miller." she explained shyly as they walked toward his wagon.

"Miss Alice," Kevin broke in, "Mrs. O'Donovan and Mike are out at my ranch." he stated. "I was going to stop by your place after I finished up here at the mercantile, to let you know that Kaylin wouldn't be by for a bit." Wide eyes peered up at him. Kevin explained how he had come across first Mike, and then Kaylin as Alice listened silently.

This wasn't the first time she had heard of Calloway's temper. She agreed that he had absolutely done the right thing by whisking both of them away to safety, and she thanked him for his kindness. "Please stop by for coffee before you leave town?" she asked. "We have some of Kay's things that she might like to have with her." Alice paused to nod her head to an older gentleman as he passed by them on his way into the store. "She was at the boarding house so much it made sense for her to keep some things with us."

"Much obliged, Miss Alice." Kevin said as he reached up and tipped the brim of his hat. "I'll be happy to take you if you'd like?" He offered her his arm and supported her as she stepped into the wagon.

The household was a blur of activity. Nancy had already fixed breakfast for the ranch hands and cleaned the dishes before Kaylin had even begun to stir. Mike poked his head thru the door to check on his mother who was still asleep. She woke in the middle of the night and had tossed and turned unable to push the thoughts of that night from her mind. It was just a little before daylight before she had finally fallen back into a deep sleep. Gradually she became awake and wondered why her whole body ached.

"Mornin' ma'am," Mike said in a hushed voice.

Kaylin recognized her son's voice instantly and blinked to clear her eyes as her mind wrestled with the question of where she was. Light footsteps crossed the room and the weight that settled on the bed next to her, told her Mike was there beside her. She couldn't see him well, he was just a blur and she thought to rub the fog from her eyes but Mike snatched her hands before she had lifted them to her face.

"Everything's alright now ma, you're safe." He said in a voice just above a whisper." Doc Goode has gone to fetch some of your things and he say's we can both stay here as long as we'd like."

Bits and pieces of the previous night flashed back to her as she tried unsuccessfully to prop herself up on her elbows. A light tap at the door made Kaylin and Mike turn to see Nancy as she eased the door open slowly and peeked inside.

"Good morning, how are you feeling Mrs. O'Donovan? I brought you some fresh water to wash with."

Nancy pushed thru the door crossed the room and placed the ewer on the wash stand. Kaylin scanned the unfamiliar room. Gauzy curtains hung in the windows. A sturdy dresser stood against one wall and a wash stand occupied a corner. The room was decidedly feminine she thought.

"Shall we see if Sarah left a dress that might fit you?" Nancy chirped. "All of mine would be too big." Kaylin watched as the other woman crossed to the trunk at the foot of the bed.

"Let's check what's inside."

A few moments of rustling thru the contents produced a skirt and blouse that would suit. Nancy instructed Mike to bring up more wood for the cook stove and to refill the kettle with water for tea. After he left to do as she had asked, Nancy helped Kaylin to wash and dress. Nancy wondered if it might be a nice change to have another woman out here on the ranch. But her suspicious nature warned her not to become too friendly with this woman. The memory of the tone in Kevin's voice as he had spoken to the woman last night drifted back to her. A slight uneasiness about their houseguest filled Nancy's thoughts.

Kevin's thoughts were jumble of questions.

The wagon rolled down the lane toward the ranch as he wracked his brains for answers. There were things he should do, and other he wanted to do. Then there where those he couldn't do. One thing he knew for certain was that he couldn't leave Kaylin and Mike at Calloway mercy. On one hand, if the louse came out to the ranch to bring them back with him, Kevin wasn't sure what he'd do. He knew Mike wouldn't stay there, not for one minute. He'd run away again, then Kaylin would be alone and unable to ward off her husband's fists or escape from because of her bad foot. On the other hand with her out there on the ranch, she would be safe, but he wasn't sure how long he could endure being so near to her. The desire to pull her into his arms was so strong he was certain he'd be driven mad just by her nearness.

He shook his head as if to clear it. He needed to remind himself that she's a married woman. Even if it's to a no good like Calloway, a man like that could never deserve such a kind and beautiful woman such as Kay. Kevin saw the outline of the ranch house in the distance, and Mike, as he dashed across to the barn. The boy had become like the son Kevin had always wanted. He's a good lad and a hard worker. Out on the ranch the boy had learned a lot and could learn so much more. He would be able to earn a living for himself and a family someday. There are plenty of opportunities for skilled ranch hands around these parts. Heck, he's welcome to stay and work here for as long as he wanted to. But Kevin worried about what the towns folks would say about the pretty married woman who'd run away from her husband and was living out the ranch. Can't help what others think, Kevin concluded. What right is right. It's that simple, it's right that they stay and secretly he longed for them, her, to want to stay.

The wagon rolled to a stop by the back porch, he could see Kaylin and Nancy as they sat on the porch swing. He threw the brake and called out for Mike to grab one of the other hands and come unload the wagon. He climbed down and stepped into the shade of the porch then strode over to greet the ladies.

"Morning Kaylin, morning Nancy," and nodded to each lady and touched the brim of his hat.

"Kevin, would you tell them to take the coffee and flour sacks to the kitchen pantry and not down to the cellar?" Nancy implored. She then proceeded to complain how the last time she needed coffee there was no one around to bring up a sack for her. She lamented that, as a woman, she wasn't strong enough to heft one up the stairs, so she had be forced to cut open a sack down in the root cellar, and much of the coffee spilt out on the dirt floor. There was a trace of connivance in her story but Kevin nodded in agreement.

"Mike," hollered Kevin, "make sure you fella's leave some coffee & flour for Mrs. Nancy in the pantry."

Mike lifted a hand, and waved, to let them know he heard him and that he'd take care of it. He paused a moment, smiled at his mother, then went back to finish unloading the wagon.

"While I was at the mercantile I ran into Miss Alice." Kevin said as he looked with concern at Kaylin's bruised and swollen eye. "I informed her that you'd be staying here at the ranch while your foot mends."

A hint of a smile played on Kevin's face when he noticed the old woolen socks on Kaylin's feet. "At least now I'm going to be able to keep you from traipsing all about town."

"You seem to be quite amused with yourself." Kaylin noticed. "Don't forget you owe me a new pair of boots," she reminded him.

"Yes, ma'am I recall." Acknowledged Kevin, "and I am sorry for having to ruin the one's you had, but there really was no other way."

Kaylin nodded. She understood and shuffled her feet hiding them under her skirts.

"I did bring you some things Miss Alice had of yours at the boarding house." he said. Kaylin smiled then winced from the tenderness of the bruises left by Cal's fist. She lifted her hand to tenderly touch her face and thanked him for his thoughtfulness. A tight feeling in Kevin's chest grew as he watched her struggle to hold back tears. He clenched his fists by his side but said nothing.

Mike stepped onto the porch, "wagon's all unloaded," he said with a broad smile across his face. "Thank you boy," Nancy said, "now how about fetching some water for coffee?" A quick nod of his head and off he went.

Nancy sat and watched the emotions skitter across Kevin's face. Anger flashed and he balled his hands into fists. It was plain for her to see that this is more than his usual overprotectiveness. The color drained from her face as she saw the intensity in Kevin's eyes while he watched Kaylin and she could see how deeply he cared for this woman. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be, her mind screamed. Her whole body went numb, and then Nancy rose unsteady on her feet. She understood. Everything made sense now. There must have been something between Kevin and Kaylin before he brought her out here. That must have been why her husband beat her. With her back straight she walked to the kitchen door. Hatred filled her as she glared at the man with whom she had planned to spend her life with. Kevin never even noticed Nancy, his eyes were riveted on the woman who sat silently weeping.

"Mrs. Nancy?" Mike called as he carried the water from the well to the house. "Do you need more wood for the cook stove? I can bring up a couple more loads if you'd like?" he asked.

"Why that would be right nice of you. Thank you for offering." she replied.

Mike turned to glance at his ma and saw the sadness and tears on her face. In an instant he had forgotten all about the promised firewood and crossed over to her and gently wrapped his arms about her shoulders. Kevin wished he could do the same. He wanted to smooth her hair, brush the tears away and keep her safe within the circle of his arms. Instead, he turned and walked from the porch in search of anything that would ease his longing.

Nancy had watched as the boy comforted his mother and had taken note of the pained look on Kevin's face when he turned to walk away. "Kevin?" Nancy called out after him "how about that firewood?"

"Yep, I'll get right on it," he said as he strode toward the barn. The last thing on his mind was firewood. His arms ached to hold Kaylin and ease her pain. A low moan escaped as he slumped against the back wall of the barn. He needed to see that she healed and was gone as soon as possible; having her so near will strain the very limits of his self-control.


End file.
